Communiqué from the Diocesan Office, 17 January 2013

In the Patriarchal letter of 16th January 2013, His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I announced that, at the decision of the Holy Synod, Archbishop Gabriel of Comana’s request to be allowed to retire has been accepted.

His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel of France is officially named Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Exarchate of the Ecumenical Throne for the Orthodox Parishes of Russian Tradition in Western Europe, in accordance with the related request made by the Council of the Archdiocese. From this moment until the election of the new Archbishop, the name of Metropolitan Emmanuel of France should be liturgically commemorated as Locum Tenens of the Archiepiscopal Throne.

The Council of the Archdiocese will meet without delay under the chairmanship of Metropolitan Emmanuel in order to decide on the date of the Extraordinary General Assembly to elect the new Archbishop and the method of selecting the candidates according to paragraphs 41 and 42 of the statutes of the Archdiocese. The way of selecting the lay delegates from the parishes will also be indicated as soon as possible.